Tag: 3G

Over the last one month or so, nearly all the major 3G operators in India slashed their 3G rates by a good margin. Vodafone had also slashed its 3G tariff rates but only for its prepaid customers.

However, beginning today, Vodafone has rolled out new 3G postpaid plans along with increasing the free data usage for its existing plans. The new 3G tariff rates are pretty well priced, and will definitely help in increasing the 3G adoption rate in India.

Below are the new 3G plans from Vodafone India for its postpaid customers -:

Rs 375 – 1.5GB free data usage

Rs 650 – 3GB of free data usage

Rs 750 – 4GB of free data usage

Rs 850 – 5GB of free data usage

Rs 1250 – 8GB of free data usage

Post the ‘free’ data usage, users will be charged at 2p/10KB. These new postpaid plans come into effective immediately in most regions of India. Please keep in mind that these plans might not be available in all regions of India, so please confirm them from Vodafone customer care.

Last week, Airtel reduced the price of its exciting 3G plans. Now, Idea Cellular has finally joined the bandwagon. Last year, Idea launched its 3G services in Maharashtra & Goa, Mumbai, Gujarat, Karnataka, AP, Tamil Nadu & Chennai, Delhi, Haryana, UP West, UP East, Bihar, Kolkata, Kerala, MP, Rajasthan, West Bengal, North East and Assam. Following the price drop by Aircel and Airtel in India, Idea Cellular went ahead and reduced the 3G tariff plans by up to 70%. You heard it right!

Sashi Shankar, CMO, Idea Cellular, said, “We have been a pioneer in 3G since inception and with these new prices; Idea has brought 3G within the reach of the masses. I am confident that new prices will generate a lot of trial and will drive off take. Our new sachet packs of Rs. 10 & HERO-25 are aimed at youngsters who will access high speed internet on-the-go without worrying about the expense.”

Idea has 2.7 million active 3G users with average usage of 330 MB/month. Today, Idea’s gold standard 3G services are present in 3207 towns in India. Idea Cellular recently announced up to 70% price reduction on its 3G services. Both prepaid and postpaid customers will now pay 3p/10 KB of data, a reduction of 70% from the earlier price of 10p/10KB. Idea has also launched its new pricing in sachet packs, regular packs and unlimited packs. Check out the new 3G tariff plans below.

Idea has launched a new sachet pack, which allows the customers to try the Idea’s 3G services. This sachet pack is available for just Rs.10 and it offers 30 minutes of high speed internet surfing. It comes with a validity of 1 day. On the other hand, Idea has also unveiled the new “HERO 25” sachet pack which offers 100 MB data with a validity if 3 days for just Rs.25. For regular home internet users, Idea now offers 1 GB of data download at just Rs.250. For professionals and corporate users, Idea has unlimited plan priced at Rs.950.

Last year, Airtel finally launched the much-awaited 3G services in India. The company has won 3G license for 13 telecom circles in India including Mumbai, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh (West), Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh, Bihar, Assam, North East, Jammu & Kashmir. The 3G plans announced by Airtel and other operators were costly and not affordable of most of us. Soon after the launch of 4G services in India, Airtel went ahead and slashed 3G data plan rates by up to 70%.

Earlier, the subscribers would have to shell out Rs.201, Rs.450 and Rs.750 for 250 MB, 600 MB and 2 GB of data respectively. Now, the customers will have to pay just Rs.100, Rs.250 and Rs.450 for 300 MB, 1GB and 2GB of data respectively. Airtel has also launched a new 3G plan for heavy data subscribers, which allows then to download 10 GB of data for just Rs.1500. The new Airtel 3G packs are now available for both pre-paid and post-paid customers across circles using phones as well as dongles. Check out the complete tariff below.

These 3G data plans comes with a validity of 30 days. However, Airtel pre-paid customers can opt for a weekly data plan, which gives you 150 MB of data for just Rs.45 with a validity of 7 days. Airtel has also announced the new Smartbytes for 3G, which allows the customers to continue enjoying the 3G experience even after exhausting their monthly data limits using the add-on packs. Sadly, the Smartbytes is currently available only for the post-paid customers.

In the past few days, the rumors of Google making and selling their own tablet have gained steam. The rumors also point to a Kindle Fire-like price point of $199. The instant reaction is to look at Google’s earlier attempt to sell hardware directly to consumers, the Nexus One phone. We know it was a failed experiment which Google acknowledged, by shutting down the operations.

Nexus tablet, on the other hand, is a completely different story. I have firmly believed that tablets should not be sold by the carriers. Yes, there are some options with tablets where you can get cellular broadband service, but first and foremost, a tablet should be sold like a PC. I mean, a computer store or a consumer electronics store. Best Buy, Fry’s Electronics and the like. The carriers can also hop in and sell the 3G/4G versions of the tablets like they tried selling the 3G-enabled netbooks. So, taking the sales point away from the carrier stores is a good sign. Compare this with the phone where, at least in the US, it is extremely hard to sell a phone without subsidies. Nokia tried it long time ago and failed. Even Apple briefly tried the unsubsidized route but realized people are much more sensitive to upfront price than you would think. Given that the sale of the phone is tied so much to a carrier, it does not make much sense to conduct the sale away from the carrier. Apple is clearly an exception here, like in many business processes today.

Secondly, the price. If the rumors are true and the tablet is in fact around $199, it will be a huge win. A stock Android tablet with no “skins” installed, for $199 could be an interesting device. Kindle Fire has its ecosystem to rely upon but out of the box, it does limit which Android apps can run on the device. If a Nexus tablet can run all Android apps, and additionally support Amazon media consumption (either via Amazon apps like Kindle app or via the browser for Amazon Video), it becomes a superset of the Fire, for the same price as the Fire. Yes, the current Android tablets already do all of that, I understand. However, none of them have gained any traction yet, and if Google can get behind the marketing and sales, and create a Nexus phone-style clean and crisp user experience, I think users may get interested.

In fact, if this strategy does not work, you can presumably call it the end of the road for Android tablets.

Idea Cellular has recently expanded its 3G services more than 10 major cities and 100 other towns in Maharashtra and Goa circle. Tata Docomo was the first private operator to launch the 3G services in circle. Apart from Tata Docomo, other private operators like Vodafone and Airtel has also started offering 3G to their customers in Maharashtra and Goa. Idea 3G services are currently available 10 major cities and 100 other towns including Pune, Nagpur, Nashik, Goa, Kolhapur, Solapur, Aurangabad, Ahmednagar, Akola, Nanded, Shirdi, Shrirampur, Jamkhed, Pathardi, Loni, etc.

Speaking about the expansion of 3G services, Mr. Rajendra Chourasia, Chief Operating Officer – Maharashtra & Goa, Idea Cellular said, “Idea has been continuously enhancing 3G coverage across the state by adding sites every day, making us the highest penetrated 3G operator in the circle. Maharashtra is our oldest and biggest circle, and we will continue to build on this leadership on 3G services as well”.

Idea has already added nearly 5 lakh 3G subscribers in Maharashtra & Goa. Even the Gold Standard 3G services by Idea has received phenomenal response in the circle. Idea Cellular is currently offering its 3G services to both prepaid and postpaid in Maharashtra & Goa, Mumbai, Gujarat, Karnataka, AP, Tamil Nadu & Chennai, Delhi, Haryana, UP West, UP East, Bihar, Kolkata, Kerala, MP, Rajasthan, West Bengal, North East and Assam.

After waiting for almost a year, Vodafone finally launched its 3G services earlier this year in India. Tata Docomo was the first operator to launch its 3G services in India, followed by Aircel, Reliance, Idea and Airtel. Last week, Vodafone launched its 3G services in Uttar Pradesh. And now, Vodafone went ahead and launched its 3G services in Kolkata circle.

Speaking on the occasion, Sridhar Rao, Chief Executive Officer, Vodafone Essar East Limited said, We expect a strong uptake and high demand for these 3G Services and we welcome all our subscribers to faster, smarter, better world of Vodafone 3G.

Vodafone had grabbed 3G license for 9 circles Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai & Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra & Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh (East) and West Bengal. Vodafone is expected to launch 3G services in the remaining circles, by the end of this month.

Vodafone offers video calling, high definition gaming and fast internet to their subscribers, along with exclusive access to retransmission of live IPL matches and streaming of entertainment and other content on their smartphones. Vodafone Mobile Internet plans is available at a minimum price of Rs 100 for postpaid and Rs.103 for prepaid subscribers, which offers 100 MB of free data usage. On the other hand, the Mobile Broadband plans is available at a minimum price of Rs.650 for 1 GB of free data usage.

Vodafone also offers local and STD video calling at Rs.3/min. Customers can also enjoy live TV with a subscription pack at Rs 150 monthly or Rs 7 daily.

The 3G rollout to various parts of India has gradually begun and users all over India can now finally start experiencing fast mobile Internet speeds via 3G. Airtel has announced it’s plans of launching 3G service for it’s users in less than a week and Tata DOCOMO, after jumping onto the 3G Bandwagon quite early, has now unveiled it’s 3G services in yet another Indian state – Karnataka.

Bharti Airtel ‘s CEO Sanjay Kapoor told PTI that Airtel will make the announcement for the commercial launch of our 3G service in next six to seven days. However he did not reveal so as to in what all circles is Airtel planning to launch this service initially. Bharti won the 3G spectrum for 13 telecom circles in India and has given contracts to Ericsson India , Nokia Siemens and Huawei to set up the necessary 3G infrastructure.

In other news, Tata Docomo increased it’s 3G presence all over India by launching it’s 3G service in three areas of Northern Karnataka, namely – Hubli, Dharwad & Belgaum. Tata Docomo’s 3G Network currently supports internet access with high speeds of 21.1 Mbps and the company plans to introduce more products and services with support of NTT DOCOMO.

A couple of days back we had told you that Mobile Number Portability (MNP) was launched for the first time in India in the state of Haryana. Well, it seems that users all the initial wave that was generated by MNP has now slowed down and the figures say that most cellphone users in Haryana are not highly interested to switch to MNP.

Around 30,000- 35,000 customers in Haryana have requested to change their cellular operator. This number happens to be less than 1% of the 17 million strong consumer base in Haryana. Now the operators have started believing that at this rate, only less than 1.5 per cent of the subscriber base will opt for MNP in the next two months.

Operators have revealed that post-paid subscribers are more likely to request for a change in their operators via MNP and just two to three per cent of the porting requests which are coming from post-paid subscribers, who happen to be only three per cent of Haryana’s subscribers base.

Reliance Communications is gearing for the upcoming 3G wave in India and for this it has launched a new mobile data portal called R World. The portal will provide users with a complete 3G end-to-end mobile Internet and data services to 120 million Reliance mobile subscribers. The portal is powered by Motricity’s mCore platform.

With R World, users can access their email (Gmail, Windows Live, Ovi Mail) and social networks (Facebook, Twitter) with one login thus keeping the users out of hassles to re-enter different passwords and user IDs over and over again. R-World has a RSS reader using which users can browse through feeds and add them to their home page and get the most relevant news, sports and content.

Reliance Communications has secured 3G spectrum rights in 13 circles which include the metros Delhi and Mumbai and some cities in the category ‘C’ circle and plans to launch 3G services by the end of December this year. R-World for 3G will definitely help Reliance mobile subscribers to get started with 3G.

Tata Docomo became the first private operator to launch its 3G services in India. Last month Airtel announced that it will launch its 3G services from December end. And now, Reliance Communication became the third private operator to announce its 3G services in India.

Syed Safawi, the company’s head of wireless business, said at an investors conference that Reliance will launch its 3G services in India by the year-end. Reliance Communications has grabbed 3G license for 13 telecom circles in India Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Punjab, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh, Bihar, North East, Jammu & Kashmir, Orissa and Assam.

Tata Docomo already launched its 3G services in India. On the other hand Airtel, Reliance, Aircel, S-Tel and Idea will launch their 3G services by December end. Vodafone is the only operator that will launch its 3G services from next year. Reliance 3G signals are already live in some parts of Mumbai and the company will offer speed upto 21mbps. Are you excited for the launch of Reliance 3G services? Or you are planning to go for Vodafone, Airtel or other private operator?